


Time to be Reckless

by dandelionknight



Series: Pearlmethyst week 2018 [3]
Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Human, Confessions, F/F, First Kiss, Miscommunication, Sharing a Bed
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-13
Updated: 2018-11-13
Packaged: 2019-08-23 03:02:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,640
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16610633
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dandelionknight/pseuds/dandelionknight
Summary: Pearl can't sleep tonight; she has something she needs to get off her chest.





	Time to be Reckless

2:43 AM. The red numbers on the hotel clock speared at her eyes in the darkness and Pearl shut them tight, dragging a hand over her face. It was nearing the 3 hour mark; she couldn’t sleep and it was Amethyst’s fault. 

The three of them had planned it together: Garnet, Amethyst and herself. Two weeks of driving around the country in a rented van before returning to the pressures of their respective lives. A few days to be reckless and stupid while they were still young enough to have an excuse, Amethyst had said. They’d drive to Empire City first and see where the winds took them. Pearl didn’t exactly do reckless but she still jumped at the chance to spend some time with her two closest friends. And maybe the chance to tell Amethyst how she felt. But that simply wasn’t going to happen anymore. 

The vacation had gone well, better than she had thought if she was being honest. Although the other two saw each other quite regularly, Pearl had thrown herself into her work in the year after graduation and scarcely got the chance to see anyone anymore. She had worried, just a little, that they had grown apart from her in her absence. But it was like she had never left in almost every way. Amethyst always had a story to tell and Garnet’s dry wit caught her of guard in the best of ways. The miles had passed in minutes as they simply talked the distance away.

However, even though the way they interacted with Pearl hadn’t changed, the way Amethyst and Garnet interacted with each other had. They were closer. More than once she had caught Amethyst tugging Garnet down to whisper something in her ear. Once, Garnet had laughed but turned stoic when she caught Pearl watching. Another time she simply smiled her enigmatic smile and whispered something back. To Pearl’s eye, it looked intimate. 

Apparently, they found a match in each other. They deserved the world. She was happy for them, truly. 

She made sure to give them space, fetching the three of them coffee or some other excuse so they could have their privacy. It didn’t feel right to bring her own feelings into it; it would be selfish and not what Garnet and Amethyst’s new relationship needed at all. 

But tonight, when they had half a week of vacation time left, they had mutually decided that sleeping in the van was just too uncomfortable. Pearl had offered to rent a hotel room and the the other two could have the van to themselves, but they teased her for ‘keeping the real beds to herself’. 

So they all rented a room together and watched cheesy old horror movies on Pearl’s laptop, eating gas station snacks Amethyst had stashed and laughing until their sides hurt at bad acting, bad costumes, and bad science. She loved nights like this, when she could allow herself to let go of her thoughts for a few hours, have fun with her friends and let herself just be. Amethyst always made her feel grounded in the moment; safe and real. She loved that about her. 

They decided it was time to go to bed around midnight and that’s when things changed. Pearl had assumed that Garnet and Amethyst would take one bed and she the other but instead Garnet insisted that she needed the space and promptly claimed one as her own. 

Going over it in her mind, that didn’t make sense. Was it to keep up appearances or was something wrong? Was having a third wheel putting a strain between them?

And here Pearl was, the minutes ticking closer to three in the morning with the arm of her friend’s partner around her waist, locking her in place with her thoughts and her feelings in insomniac purgatory. 

Okay, maybe this wasn’t Amethyst’s fault, exactly. But the smaller woman was warm against her back – too warm and some of her long hair, bleached since the last time she saw it, had made it way around and was tickling her nose. God, even her hair was bent on teasing her when Amethyst herself couldn’t. 

She wondered when the two of them had gotten together. It must have been recently if they hadn’t told her. Maybe she hadn’t given them the opportunity; she never was very good at keeping in touch – she was truly terrible at texting. 

Had she not made enough space for them in her life? The last thing she wanted was to lose either of their friendship. It’s the reason she gave herself every time she had wanted to tell Amethyst since she was in her third year of college. 

She could smell Amethyst; the soap she used and felt sleep-even breaths against her rigid spine.

Or they didn’t want to make her jealous. But if they didn’t want to make her jealous, then they knew. Oh god if they knew… They were just indulging her then? Not wanting to ‘ruin their friendship’? 

The phrase stuck in her heart – a double-edged sword. 

It was too hot, burning. She was sweating. She had to get out.

It was a delicate process, extracting herself from Amethyst’s grip while trying not to wake her but she managed.

3:03

Pearl snatched the topmost blanket, trying to be unobtrusive while her bed partner slept and then stopped mid step. Where was she going to go? The van was a possibility but Garnet had the keys last and she didn’t want to go searching through someone else’s things. 

She’d sleep in the bathtub. 

She had seen it on TV, some drunken character curling up in the tub to pass the night. It was undignified but she didn’t have much dignity left. Her sleep deprived mind told her it was her best option. 

Except, in practice, it was less simple. For starters, the porcelain was freezing against her back. And hard. The blanket did very little to combat the chill. And she’d forgotten a pillow. Great.

The sink faucet dripped, a monotonous sound, ticking off the seconds as well as the infernal clock back in the room. 

More importantly, she didn’t fit. She was too tall. Her knees were bent at sharp angles and, try as she might, she couldn’t get comfortable. She tried resting a foot on the tap but almost showered herself in cold water. 

It was impossible. This night. Everything.

Pearl let herself indulge in a little self-pity but a knock, so quiet she scarcely heard it, interrupted. 

“What?” It came out as a squeak more than words. 

“P? Is that you?” 

A stupid question, Pearl thought, but she answered anyway.

“Yes, it’s me.”

“You took the blanket, dude. Are you alright? Can we talk?”

Everything in her mind balked at the final question; a chorus of no, no, no.

“Yes.”

The door opened slowly, and then closed. The light switch was flipped on and there was Amethyst. A little rumpled from sleep, wearing plaid boxers and a T-shirt Pearl had bought her years ago and squinting in the  
light. Her heart leapt and started for a run. 

She sat up. Amethyst sat on the edge and swung her legs into the tub.

“Hey.”

“Hey.”

Amethyst’s smile was soft. No trace of judgement there.

“Before you start, don’t ask why I’m in here.”

“Gotcha.” 

Amethyst took a deliberate breath – was that a bad sign – and began.

“I’ve been meaning to talk to you this entire trip, actually, but I haven’t been able to get you by yourself. I’ve been wanting to tell you this for a while – this really isn’t how I saw it going for the record. Like I was thinking a restaurant maybe? Or like at the beach or something.”

Pearl was confused. Why would she need to go to a restaurant to hear about her friend’s new relationship? To let her down gently?

“Whatever you need to tell me, Amethyst, you can tell me now.”

“Right. The place doesn’t matter. But I’ve waited too long and I kinda wanted this to be perfect.”

Amethyst took a deep breath.

“Pearl, I like you. A lot.”

Pearl waited for the but.

“And I just need to tell you that, cuz if I didn’t then I was worried I might regret it. Like, what if you met someone at your new job and I never got to tell you.”

“I – wait… what?” 

“I’m in love with you. Since, like, the year we met. Remember how I was always doing stupid shit to try and get your attention and make you laugh and stuff? Remember the hot dog thing?”

She remembered the hot dog thing.

“I just… thought you had a really cute smile and laugh and everything. And I wanted to see it. I’ve really missed you.”

Amethyst was looking at her expectantly.

“I thought…” Pearl trailed off.

“You thought what?”

“I thought you and Garnet were dating.”

Amethyst barked a laugh. “What? No! Garnet’s been trying to get me to work up the courage the whole time. Kept on giving me bits of advice on how to ask you out.” 

They sat in silence for a moment.

“I’ve known that I’m in love with you since senior year.”

“Guess I win,” she grinned.

“I guess you do.”

She moved closer and placed a hand on her friend’s leg.

Why not be reckless? 

Pearl leaned in and kissed her. It was soft, brief but it was only the beginning. There would be time for others later.

The stars themselves shone in Amethyst’s dark brown eyes.

“Wow, Pearl. Never thought our first kiss would be in a hotel bathroom. You sure know how to charm a girl.”

She muffled her laughter behind her hand and hugged the other woman close. 

“How about we just go to bed then.”

**Author's Note:**

> And here's day 3: “Not According to Plan”. Sleeping in a bathtub sucks from personal experience... I'm probably gonna take the next prompt off and I'm not sure about the others but its been fun! Thank you for taking the time to read this! c:


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